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According to this report from the Guardian, frozen shrimp (prawns) sold in leading supermarkets around the world, including the top four global retailers: Walmart, Carrefour, Costco and Tesco are gathered and processed by slaves.

"CP Foods – a company with an annual turnover of $33bn (£20bn) that brands itself as "the kitchen of the world" – sells its own-brand prawn feed to other farms, and supplies international supermarkets, as well as food manufacturers and food retailers, with frozen or cooked prawns and ready-made meals. It also sells raw prawn materials for food distributors."

Yet another reason to insist on wild-caught shrimp....currently about $4/lb from local fishermen in my area, yet I still see frozen, imported shrimp at my local WalMart. Someone must be buying them, or they wouldn't continue to appear in the freezer case.

This is a terrible story, but to be fair the article doesn't say that the shrimp are "gathered and processed" by slaves. It also doesn't say that CP Foods directly employs slave labor. The claim is that some of the fish used to make the fish-meal-based feed for CP Food's shrimp farms are caught by slaves. Fishing boat owners own the slaves who catch the fish, and that fish is then sold to factories to make fish meal... which is then sold to CP Foods to feed their shrimp. I wonder how difficult it is to source ethically produced fish meal in Thailand given that (according to the article) 90% of the labor pool for commercial fishing operations consists of migrants who are vulnerable to exploitation. Of course, difficulty in obtaining slavery-free feed is no excuse for using feed produced by slaves. It just seems that Thailand's fishing industry is screwed up generally.

I'm with HungryC on this one. This is just another reason to purchase wild-caught items with a supply chain you can trust. Depending on where you live though, this can be an expensive proposition (not all of us live in southern Louisiana!). I imagine that most people who buy frozen shrimp at Aldi, Costco, and Walmart don't have much extra money to put toward higher quality shrimp. But I for one balk at the idea of cooking frozen shrimp that were farmed thousands of miles away by people with unscrupulous business practices. It's much better to buy a better product whose pedigree you know, or else to abstain from using shrimp altogether.

I'm with HungryC on this one. This is just another reason to purchase wild-caught items with a supply chain you can trust. Depending on where you live though, this can be an expensive proposition (not all of us live in southern Louisiana!). I imagine that most people who buy frozen shrimp at Aldi, Costco, and Walmart don't have much extra money to put toward higher quality shrimp. But I for one balk at the idea of cooking frozen shrimp that were farmed thousands of miles away by people with unscrupulous business practices. It's much better to buy a better product whose pedigree you know, or else to abstain from using shrimp altogether.

Aldi shrimp is the same shrimp as Trader Joes shrimp they are the same company and Costco isnt a discount store

Aldi shrimp is the same shrimp as Trader Joes shrimp they are the same company and Costco isnt a discount store

So throw "Trader Joe's" into the mix with Aldi and Walmart. Costco is a membership-based wholesale discount business. The name "Costco" should give you a clue that they're trying to offer goods to consumers at low prices; the chain's original name was "Price Club." Not that it really matters...

but to be fair the article doesn't say that the shrimp are "gathered and processed" by slaves.

Yes, I was wrong about the gathering part.

However CP does not only gather fish food for shrimp farms. As the article states clearly, they also supply supermarkets with frozen shrimp produced by themselves. And part of that production involves slavery.

CP have admitted they know that slavery is part of their business model. But it's cool. It's only indirect.

As a spokesman says ""We know there's issues with regard to the [raw] material that comes in [to port], but to what extent that is, we just don't have visibility." which is just corporate waffle. What is 'visibility' in this context' They can't see or they can't be seen?

The companies (criminal gangs) using slave labour only do so because CP supports and pays them.

However CP does not only gather fish food for shrimp farms. As the article states clearly, they also supply supermarkets with frozen shrimp produced by themselves. And part of that production involves slavery.

CP have admitted they know that slavery is part of their business model. But it's cool. It's only indirect.

As a spokesman says ""We know there's issues with regard to the [raw] material that comes in [to port], but to what extent that is, we just don't have visibility." which is just corporate waffle. What is 'visibility' in this context' They can't see or they can't be seen?

The companies (criminal gangs) using slave labour only do so because CP supports and pays them.

Absolutely (to your last sentence). Weasel PR people will say anything. I had an argument the other day with my partner about this very thing. He thinks I am being elitist in not wanting to buy this (yes) "slaved-produced" shrimp. I just don't eat shrimp any more, even though I love it. I don't live in an area that has inexpensive wild shrimp at the grocery store. This story needs to be publicized more widely than in just one newspaper, though. This fishing practice using slave labor has been going on for a long time.

So throw "Trader Joe's" into the mix with Aldi and Walmart. Costco is a membership-based wholesale discount business. The name "Costco" should give you a clue that they're trying to offer goods to consumers at low prices; the chain's original name was "Price Club." Not that it really matters...

Yes, but its 'discount" is solely due to the BULK status, not because ts akin to the closeout food at Big Lots or Dollar Tree. All the food at Costco is name brand, quality food. thats what im getting at.

The article does not say that shrimp are gathered and processed by slaves. It doesn't even imply this. The key claim made in the article is this: "The investigation found that the world's largest prawn farmer, the Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand (CP) Foods, buys fishmeal, which it feeds to its farmed prawns, from some suppliers that own, operate or buy from fishing boats manned with slaves."

The problem is that the fish used to create fish meal are commodity goods, and once they're off the boat it's impossible to differentiate them or track where they came from. As the CP Foods rep interviewed for the story says: "We're not here to defend what is going on. We know there's issues with regard to the [raw] material that comes in [to port], but to what extent that is, we just don't have visibility." That's extremely important to understand. Unless CP Foods produced its own fishmeal, it will be almost impossible for them to know exactly what the labor conditions are like for the fishermen who supply the inputs required to make the meal. Much of the problem is institutional and not a matter of the practices of a particular company. The government is failing to protect human rights so much so that Thailand is on the verge of being demoted to a tier-3 country on the human trafficing index. And the fishing industry in Thailand is especially bad in this regard.

CP Foods have admitted that they know that some of their suppliers are using goods that were produced using slave labor. That isn't to say that they know which suppliers in particular are using slave labor, or how much of a particular supplier's output was created using slave labor. Finding out that information is extremely difficult. The article didn't even begin to speculate on how much of their supply chain depends on slavery. It might be half a percent; it might be 50%. We don't know. Neither do the authors of the article or CP Foods. Fishmeal producers aren't buying fish from just one boat; they're buying products from hundreds of boats. CP Foods isn't getting fishmeal from just one supplier, they're getting it from many suppliers. It would be one thing if every fish caught by a slave had a tag on it that said "Immorally Sourced Fish Product," but they don't. They just look like any other fish from any other boat. And once these fish get unloaded in a port, there's precious little that can be done to differentiate fish or fishmeal produced using slavery from items that were produced by free people.

I never said that "it's cool" for this to happen or that it is permissible because "it's only indirect." I said there was no excuse. I also urged others to boycott those products and instead purchase substitutes that have a more transparent supply chain.

The article didn't even begin to speculate on how much of their supply chain depends on slavery. It might be half a percent; it might be 50%

Is it relevant how much? They have admitted they know their business is partly based on slave labour. Even if that is 0,01% or less, which I doubt, it is is disgusting. The fact that CP don't know or seem to care is disgusting.

Although you have rightly said there is no excuse, at the same you seem to be working pretty hard to get them off the hook. Who else is to blame? As I said, the slave operators only do so because CP pay them. Cut off the funding and it will end. But so will CP's business and we can't have that, can we?

But this is all a huge distraction from the real issue.

The fact remains that at least some of the shrimp you can buy in the aforementioned stores is produced using slave labour to some extent. The company conducting this business knows it and admits it, but attempts to excuse its use of slave labour by resorting to meaningless corporate babble. Where is the "OK. Busted! We'll stop it"? Of course, nowhere.

This story needs to be publicized more widely than in just one newspaper, though. This fishing practice using slave labor has been going on for a long time.

The story has been around for at least a couple of years. For example, NPR did a two part story on the subject back in 2012. In March of this year CNN did a feature about the problem, as did NBCNews.com, and on 29 August 2011 IRINAsia also did a story.

The Guardian is late to the party on this one, but maybe it will garner more exposure.

Is it relevant how much? They have admitted they know their business is partly based on slave labour. Even if that is 0,01% or less, which I doubt, it is is disgusting. The fact that CP don't know or seem to care is disgusting.

Although you have rightly said there is no excuse, at the same you seem to be working pretty hard to get them off the hook. Who else is to blame? As I said, the slave operators only do so because CP pay them. Cut off the funding and it will end. But so will CP's business and we can't have that, can we?

But this is all a huge distraction from the real issue.

The fact remains that at least some of the shrimp you can buy in the aforementioned stores is produced using slave labour to some extent. The company conducting this business knows it and admits it, but attempts to excuse its use of slave labour by resorting to meaningless corporate babble. Where is the "OK. Busted! We'll stop it"? Of course, nowhere.

The focus on CP Foods is misguided and overly narrow. I'm not trying to get CP off the hook for anything, but the problem extends far beyond that particular firm and their practices. Even if CP displayed due diligence in sourcing their products (maybe they did, maybe they didn't) it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to ensure that their products were free of slavery or forced labor. Let's look at the broader context.

The largest and most systematic survey of the Thai fishing industry's labor practices is this study jointly conducted by the International Labour Organization and the Asian Research Center for Migration. The study interviewed 596 fisherman and found that 17% of respondents were working against their will and unable to leave because of threats of penalties (either physical violence, financial penalties, or governmental penalties for undocumented/illegal migrant workers). 5.4% did not enter the fishing sector voluntarily but were forced into it by manipulative handlers. Coercive and deceptive hiring practices are pervasive, especially amongst long-haul fishermen who journey into international waters. Forced labor and human trafficking were found to disproportionally impact migrant workers who immigrate from nearby Myanmar and Cambodia (which are both plagued by economic stagnation and political turmoil). These displaced workers move to Thailand to seek economic opportunities that do not exist in their homeland, but are unable to enter Thailand legally due to strict laws governing immigration. They are often trafficked into the country by exploitative guides who promise them jobs but deliver forced labor or outright slavery. Even those who are not trafficked in this way must sell their labor on the black market where there is no legal regulation. This offers still more opportunities for exploitation and coercive labor practices. Even domestic Thai workers are subjected to exploitative practices, largely because most workers (94%!!!!) had no written contract, and thus no way to estimate their wages, their occupational responsibilities, or the length of time they would be required to work. The lack of a contract also makes it difficult or impossible for exploited workers to challenge their employers in court. What's worse, widespread official corruption by government employees who are supposed to regulate this market and address worker complaints creates an atmosphere of hopelessness for victims of trafficking and forced labor.

The upshot of this? The Thai fishing industry is systematically tainted by exploitation, corruption, and deceptive labor practices. You might suggest that companies simply stop buying fish from boats guilty of these sorts of injustice, but the supply chain for the industry is so muddied and obscured that it's this isn't feasible. Fish from different boats are mixed at sea, and are often mixed again at processing plants and ports. All this mixing happens before the larger companies even come into the picture to buy these products.

Max Tunon (one of the authors of the ILO study) claims that it is "close to impossible" to disentangle Thailand's fish supply chains. This means that it's close to impossible to ensure that your products are exploitation/slavery free if you're buying fish meal in Thailand. If you're buying fishmeal in a commodity market where almost 1 in 5 fishermen are working against their will, there's not much that can feasibly be done. When CP Foods claims that they don't have visibility regarding the ultimate source of fish that their suppliers use to make fish meal, it's not "meaningless corporate babble." It's true. And even NGO non-profit worker's advocacy groups like the ILO acknowledge that it's true.

There's no simple way to say "OK. Busted! We'll stop it!". And if you can come up with one, I'm sure that CP Foods, the ILO, and tens of thousands of Thai fishermen will be interested in what you have to say.

Thailand is the world's third largest exporter of seafood, and the United States is the number one destination for exported Thai fish. 17% of fishermen in Thailand are working against their will. This problem is way bigger than the shrimp at Walmart and Aldi. Simply not buying foods from CP Foods will not solve the problem. Solving the problem will require liberalized immigration policies in Thailand, better enforcement (or just the existence) of contracts for fishermen, active governmental regulation/inspections, and a reduction of official corruption. It will require a coordinated effort by the Thai fish industry to render their supply chain more transparent and to improve the practices of the firms operating in the market. It will require a lot. Until things improve, don't buy seafood from Thailand. Don't just boycott a single firm; boycott their entire industry.

The focus on CP Foods is misguided and overly narrow. I'm not trying to get CP off the hook for anything, but the problem extends far beyond that particular firm and their practices. Even if CP displayed due diligence in sourcing their products (maybe they did, maybe they didn't) it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to ensure that their products were free of slavery or forced labor. Let's look at the broader context.

The largest and most systematic survey of the Thai fishing industry's labor practices is this study jointly conducted by the International Labour Organization and the Asian Research Center for Migration. The study interviewed 596 fisherman and found that 17% of respondents were working against their will and unable to leave because of threats of penalties (either physical violence, financial penalties, or governmental penalties for undocumented/illegal migrant workers). 5.4% did not enter the fishing sector voluntarily but were forced into it by manipulative handlers. Coercive and deceptive hiring practices are pervasive, especially amongst long-haul fishermen who journey into international waters. Forced labor and human trafficking were found to disproportionally impact migrant workers who immigrate from nearby Myanmar and Cambodia (which are both plagued by economic stagnation and political turmoil). These displaced workers move to Thailand to seek economic opportunities that do not exist in their homeland, but are unable to enter Thailand legally due to strict laws governing immigration. They are often trafficked into the country by exploitative guides who promise them jobs but deliver forced labor or outright slavery. Even those who are not trafficked in this way must sell their labor on the black market where there is no legal regulation. This offers still more opportunities for exploitation and coercive labor practices. Even domestic Thai workers are subjected to exploitative practices, largely because most workers (94%!!!!) had no written contract, and thus no way to estimate their wages, their occupational responsibilities, or the length of time they would be required to work. The lack of a contract also makes it difficult or impossible for exploited workers to challenge their employers in court. What's worse, widespread official corruption by government employees who are supposed to regulate this market and address worker complaints creates an atmosphere of hopelessness for victims of trafficking and forced labor.

The upshot of this? The Thai fishing industry is systematically tainted by exploitation, corruption, and deceptive labor practices. You might suggest that companies simply stop buying fish from boats guilty of these sorts of injustice, but the supply chain for the industry is so muddied and obscured that it's this isn't feasible. Fish from different boats are mixed at sea, and are often mixed again at processing plants and ports. All this mixing happens before the larger companies even come into the picture to buy these products.

Max Tunon (one of the authors of the ILO study) claims that it is "close to impossible" to disentangle Thailand's fish supply chains. This means that it's close to impossible to ensure that your products are exploitation/slavery free if you're buying fish meal in Thailand. If you're buying fishmeal in a commodity market where almost 1 in 5 fishermen are working against their will, there's not much that can feasibly be done. When CP Foods claims that they don't have visibility regarding the ultimate source of fish that their suppliers use to make fish meal, it's not "meaningless corporate babble." It's true. And even NGO non-profit worker's advocacy groups like the ILO acknowledge that it's true.

There's no simple way to say "OK. Busted! We'll stop it!". And if you can come up with one, I'm sure that CP Foods, the ILO, and tens of thousands of Thai fishermen will be interested in what you have to say.

Thailand is the world's third largest exporter of seafood, and the United States is the number one destination for exported Thai fish. 17% of fishermen in Thailand are working against their will. This problem is way bigger than the shrimp at Walmart and Aldi. Simply not buying foods from CP Foods will not solve the problem. Solving the problem will require liberalized immigration policies in Thailand, better enforcement (or just the existence) of contracts for fishermen, active governmental regulation/inspections, and a reduction of official corruption. It will require a coordinated effort by the Thai fish industry to render their supply chain more transparent and to improve the practices of the firms operating in the market. It will require a lot. Until things improve, don't buy seafood from Thailand. Don't just boycott a single firm; boycott their entire industry.

And the collateral damage will be?

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Never call a stomach a tummy without good reason.” William Strunk Jr., The Elements of Style

Slave labor is a problem in nearly every industry in Asia, from fisheries to sweat shops that produce cheap clothing. Boycotts, though well intentioned, tend to force the trade into sex slavery. This happened when there was a hue and cry about children working in factories that made soccer balls some years back. Other than forcing all industries to show compassion and humanity (get back to us when that switch is flipped) to their employees/workers/slaves, boycotts are so much feel-goodism for those of us in first world countries.

This is my 2¢ and certainly not a gospel on working conditions at teh factory level.

Thailand did not invent slavery. Many countries exploit slavery to advance themselves. It's human nature, and it's part of civilization maturing. I see milder forms of slavery today in the USA, but that's off topic.

If you stop buying their shrimps altogether instantly, their slavery practice will just move to other industries, and the shrimps in the oceans will be extinct from over fishing.

Now that we have digital communication, we should educate them, pressure them, provide assistance to them to transition into more universal humane ways of global economic participation and growth.

As for myself, nothing much I can do. I don't buy frozen packaged shrimps, they are tasteless.

Many countries exploit slavery to advance themselves. It's human nature, and it's part of civilization maturing.

Oh! That's OK then! I'm off to buy more shrimp to help the ignorant, uncivilised people of the world mature.

If you stop buying their shrimps altogether instantly, their slavery practice will just move to other industries, and the shrimps in the oceans will be extinct from over fishing.

Sorry, I'm not following the logic here. Yes, there is the danger that slavery may be moved elsewhere. However, the idea that if we stop buying shrimp, shrimp will be become overfished to extinction baffles me. If no one buys them, why would anyone overfish them? It's the old "No one goes there any more; It's too busy" argument.

Or maybe I misunderstood.

Now that we have digital communication, we should educate them, pressure them, provide assistance to them to transition into more universal humane ways of global economic participation and growth.

Lofty ideals. Who is this "them" of whom you speak? The people supporting and profiting from this are just corporate thugs. As I've said before, they have unapologetically admitted to using slave labour. The only pressure they will respond to is loss of profits. Do you really think they don't know that slavery is immoral or inhumane. They don't care! Money, money, money.

I only usually buy live, wild caught prawns. Yes they are tastier, but that is irrelevant.

Sorry, I'm not following the logic here. Yes, there is the danger that slavery may be moved elsewhere. However, the idea that if we stop buying shrimp, shrimp will be become overfished to extinction baffles me. If no one buys them, why would anyone overfish them? It's the old "No one goes there any more; It's too busy" argument.

Or maybe I misunderstood.

I think his point is that if we stop buying farmed shrimp, then the wild shrimp population will be overfished to extinction.

As far as frozen shrimp go, I buy only wild-caught these days. But what I'm now wondering about is the dried shrimp I buy for Thai and Vietnamese cooking, since I assume they're farmed; does anyone know if they'd be part of the same supply chain? Or is this strictly a "frozen shrimp for the Western grocery store market" problem?

Oh! That's OK then! I'm off to buy more shrimp to help the ignorant, uncivilised people of the world mature.

No form of slavery is OK under any circumstance. The point is, the issues involved are very complex and interrelated.

Sorry, I'm not following the logic here. Yes, there is the danger that slavery may be moved elsewhere. However, the idea that if we stop buying shrimp, shrimp will be become overfished to extinction baffles me. If no one buys them, why would anyone overfish them? It's the old "No one goes there any more; It's too busy" argument.

Or maybe I misunderstood.

Or I mis-communicated. Thailand with close to $50 billion in food exports, $31 billion is to the USA. Of this $31 billion, not all are in shrimps. I would guess (only guessing here) slavery practices are not specifically only exist in shrimp harvesting. Probably in many other food industries, include shrimp farming.

Lofty ideals. Who is this "them" of whom you speak? The people supporting and profiting from this are just corporate thugs. As I've said before, they have unapologetically admitted to using slave labour. The only pressure they will respond to is loss of profits. Do you really think they don't know that slavery is immoral or inhumane. They don't care! Money, money, money.

"Them" hopefully the politicians and law enforcement entities to actually enforce the laws which they already have on their books, if our government start pressuring them. Boycotting is good, and I am guessing again, 80% of the people here will care less. They want cheap shrimps. So Thailand will lower their price and ship whatever they can't sell here to other countries.

I only usually buy live, wild caught prawns. Yes they are tastier, but that is irrelevant.

Thank you for starting this topic and staying with it with updates, comments, and additional information. I only hope that the forum participants take some action, even if it's just forwarding the links and info to friends, colleagues, and others that they know.